Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is liable to be punished for sexual harassment, molestation and stalking based on complaints by six wrestlers, the Delhi Police has stated in its chargesheet against the Wrestling Federation of India chief, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.

In one of the six cases, the complainant had to suffer “repeated and continuing” harassment from Singh, according to the chargesheet.

In the chargesheet filed last month, the police had charged Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Uttar Pradesh, under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage woman’s modesty), 354A (sexual harassment) and 354D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code.

However, the police had suggested dropping charges involving a minor, which would have made his arrest imminent.

The investigators have spoken to 108 witnesses in the six cases. Of these, 15 including players, coaches and referees backed up the claims made by the six wrestlers. The complainants have accused Singh of demanding sexual favours for professional help on at least two occasions, 15 incidents of molestation and other forms of sexual harassment.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal at the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi has asked Singh to appear before him on July 18. The police have urged the court to summon the witnesses whose corroborative statements have been added in the chargesheet.

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Witness corroborations

Three wrestlers supported the allegations of an athlete who had accused Singh of groping her several times while she was out for dinner at a restaurant, according to The Indian Express. In another instance at Singh’s office, the wrestler had alleged, that the BJP MP put his hands on her palm, knee, thighs and shoulders and then touched her breasts on the pretext of checking her breathing.

“The victim was subject to inappropriate sexual contact on the pretext of checking her breathing,” the chargesheet stated, citing one of the witness.

Another witness said that the athlete had told her that “she did not feel good” when she was molested at the restaurant.

The second complainant’s brother and husband backed up her claims that Singh had molested her on the pretext of checking her breathing while she was lying down on a wrestling mat, and also tried to forcefully make physical contact with her in his office.

“Two-three unknown persons came to him [her husband] and threatened them with dire consequences and asked them to keep away from locking horns with Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh,” the chargesheet stated, citing the witnesses.

The third complainant’s mother and three wrestlers supported her allegations that Singh tried to bribe her by offering to buy supplements “in exchange for sexual favours” .

The chargesheet stated, “Brij Bhushan had called the victim to his room through someone and talked to her parents on the phone and tried to forcibly hug her. He also asked the victim if he looked good in a pant-shirt or in a dhoti kurta.”

Another wrestler who said that Singh had tried to pull her towards him by the shoulder on the pretext of taking a photo had two coaches speak in her support.

In the fifth case, two referees corroborated the version of a player who accused Singh of touching her inappropriately during a team photograph, The Indian Express reported.

“Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had touched the complainant in an inappropriate manner and after that, the complainant changed her position from last row to front row during the group photo session,” the chargesheet said, citing one of the referees.

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